Verum woke up at the first light of dawn. She wanted to know about the Glasgow Summit in her world gazing today. Her excitement was through the roof. As it struck 7 on the clock, she jumped out of her bed, rushed to her trusty crystal ball, and demanded, “News please dear crystal!”
“Do you have to be this excited about the news?” said an already awake Felix.
“You should be too. Remember how we discussed the climate change issue? This summit is where the ideas pop up; the world leaders are meeting to crack the solution,” said Verum enthusiastically.
“Explain it to us as well, please,” said Scorch from her bed.
“Let’s understand it point-by-point:
(Verum pulled out her board and started writing down pointers.)
The Beginnings:
In 1992, an international treaty was agreed upon, called the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, or UNFCCC. Under this treaty, climate conferences are organized where nations participate to find solutions to climate issues.
COP:
COP stands for Conference of Parties. It is a summit that witnesses the participation of 197 signatories to the UNFCCC. These nations together find out ways to implement the treaty. Presently, there are 196 countries and the EU in the signatories (countries who sign the primary treaty are called signatories).
COP26 or Glasgow Summit:
On Sunday, the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties, better known as COP26 kick-started in Glasgow, United Kingdom. It is a two-week conference, with almost 200 countries participating to discuss, share ideas and negotiate global warming issues,” she explained.
“I see. A few days have already passed. Any significant takeaways from the summit?” said Felix.
“Yes. Firstly, the leaders feel that COP26 is a ‘make or break’ step. It means that all the discussions here can either save our planet or destroy it further. One of the main points is how to keep the global temperatures from rising by over 1.5 degrees in this century,” informed Verum.
“Did any leader give inputs in the last few days,” asked Orak.
“Yes, the leaders have highlighted the importance of tackling climate change at the earliest,” replied Verum.
“Excellent. I hope all these inspiring words translate into action and humans can conquer global warming,” concluded Scorch as Felix and Orak nodded in agreement.